RVA has no shortage of BBQ joints in the area and surprisingly most are pretty damn good. Bigs at 931 W. Grace St., has tossed it’s BBQ hat into the ring. Whether it’s a contender or not remains to be seen as I haven’t ben yet. I’m looking forward to putting them to the test. Check out their menu online.

As you’d expect a BBQ restaurant is not the ideal place to take a vegetarian and Bigs is no exception. To Bigs’ credit while they only offer one veggie item (salad and sides don’t count) they are at least treating the veggie sandwich with a bit of respect.

To show vegetarians that intentionality can come from unexpected places, Bigs BBQ on West Grace Street sets a new standard. Meat dominates, but the vegetarian choices aren’t an afterthought. Owner Rob Weaver has fine-tuned a recipe for house-made seitan, or wheat gluten. He got advice from the folks at neighboring Ipanema Cafe and elsewhere to create the faux pulled pork sandwich for $6.

“If we’re going to do a vegetarian barbecue it has to be as good as it can be,” Weaver says, and not a token bean patty. The Bigs version comes with slaw and sweet Memphis-style sauce, also made in-house.

Weaver says carnivorous men feel compelled to order the pub’s big boy burger, a beef patty with barbecue on top. Briskets, ribs, sausages, chicken and pork are smoked daily and served with sauce on the side. Starters, sides and platters are priced for student budgets and a kids’ menu is available.